Ocean Ripples
Confession: I'm pouting that I haven't been called to help in Boulder right now.
The past week in particular has been ripe with conversation about life purpose. Three of my closest friends have entertained these thoughts with me; one focused on talents, one on method, and one on timing.
Talents. It's kind of a loaded subject, especially for someone who grew up with a heavy dose of the arts. I'm trained to think about talents on a mechanical level - how high I can kick, what my vocal range is, what grade of music I can sight-read. Natural talents always looked like that to me, and until I studied psychology in college, it hadn't occurred to me that even things like intelligent problem solving, creating safe dialogue, and effectively managing staff all qualified as talents too. So my friend and I chatted, picking apart the ways in which we felt we could be used, if only our true talents had the proper outlet.
Behold the second conversation of the week: friend number two mentions that he feels like he picked a strange time to be alive. I quite agree, as the ways the world used to handle things is becoming irrelevant to the problems we face, and there seems to be a serious need for new perspective. How to get that new perspective is a daunting task; I'm currently of the opinion that there's a lot of healing that needs to go on, and that a solid place to start is by healing on an individual level. The method to attain healing? Also an overwhelming idea, and so many options to choose from. But here's the connection: using my talents to serve as a healer, or at least catalyst for healing, is looking like the most effective use of me, as a human among humans. This friend felt like he was making use of part of his talent, with a similar goal in mind. I am still feeling around for the method that will be most effective for me, but it gets closer every day.
"Timing is everything"; a quote high on my list of love/hate relationships, and only because it's true. Surrendering to the flow of life is one of life's greatest challenges, and friend number three reminded me of this just last night. It may not be time for me to use my talents yet, and it seems to be largely because I have to heal myself too. "Be with the resistance" is something this friend reminds me of on a consistent basis, and my resistance is usually where I need the most healing. I tried to escape RI again at the first feasible chance, and yet here I am, choosing to make myself face it. Growth is the only option for me now, and that's really what I need - in order to be in touch with my talents in order to heal people in order to help the world.
One step at at time.
So Boulder may not be where I need to be at this time in my life. Fine. Accepted. I will work on what I am called to be working on right now, because I truly believe that my tiny ripples in the ocean of life do affect the whole. I will make the most of that, in any way I can.
And for good measure, a straightforward article about my generation's career struggles. It's always good to see things from another vantage point.
The past week in particular has been ripe with conversation about life purpose. Three of my closest friends have entertained these thoughts with me; one focused on talents, one on method, and one on timing.
Talents. It's kind of a loaded subject, especially for someone who grew up with a heavy dose of the arts. I'm trained to think about talents on a mechanical level - how high I can kick, what my vocal range is, what grade of music I can sight-read. Natural talents always looked like that to me, and until I studied psychology in college, it hadn't occurred to me that even things like intelligent problem solving, creating safe dialogue, and effectively managing staff all qualified as talents too. So my friend and I chatted, picking apart the ways in which we felt we could be used, if only our true talents had the proper outlet.
Behold the second conversation of the week: friend number two mentions that he feels like he picked a strange time to be alive. I quite agree, as the ways the world used to handle things is becoming irrelevant to the problems we face, and there seems to be a serious need for new perspective. How to get that new perspective is a daunting task; I'm currently of the opinion that there's a lot of healing that needs to go on, and that a solid place to start is by healing on an individual level. The method to attain healing? Also an overwhelming idea, and so many options to choose from. But here's the connection: using my talents to serve as a healer, or at least catalyst for healing, is looking like the most effective use of me, as a human among humans. This friend felt like he was making use of part of his talent, with a similar goal in mind. I am still feeling around for the method that will be most effective for me, but it gets closer every day.
"Timing is everything"; a quote high on my list of love/hate relationships, and only because it's true. Surrendering to the flow of life is one of life's greatest challenges, and friend number three reminded me of this just last night. It may not be time for me to use my talents yet, and it seems to be largely because I have to heal myself too. "Be with the resistance" is something this friend reminds me of on a consistent basis, and my resistance is usually where I need the most healing. I tried to escape RI again at the first feasible chance, and yet here I am, choosing to make myself face it. Growth is the only option for me now, and that's really what I need - in order to be in touch with my talents in order to heal people in order to help the world.
One step at at time.
So Boulder may not be where I need to be at this time in my life. Fine. Accepted. I will work on what I am called to be working on right now, because I truly believe that my tiny ripples in the ocean of life do affect the whole. I will make the most of that, in any way I can.
And for good measure, a straightforward article about my generation's career struggles. It's always good to see things from another vantage point.
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